Having dinner and drinks? Perhaps heading over to a local bar with the girls? Or perhaps you’ve decided, “What the heck?” and you're throwing on a slinky dress, some heels, and you’re heading out to your favorite bottom-shaking nightclub. What beauty essentials should you carry in your little clutch? After all, a night full of drinks, gabbing with the girls, and/or dancing requires some self-maintenance here and there.

Breath Freshening Teeth Cleaners

Garlic or spicy foods and alcohol are two bad breath offenders. Do yourself (and your friends or date) a favor and carry along some minty teeth cleaners to take care of this dilemma.

Pale, Shimmery Lip Gloss

Sure, your precisely applied lip liner, lipstick, and gloss looked fab on your way out of the house, but it will not hold up during dinner and especially after a few drinks. The best way to keep your lips looking glossy for photo-ops without having to run to the bathroom is to keep a tube of pale or nude shimmery lip gloss in your bag. This way, you can apply and reapply with as little fuss as possible and still look glam and put-together (even after a few drinks).

Oil Control Blotting Sheets

If you perspire a little during the night and fear your makeup will suffer, use one of those nifty blotting sheets (like the ones made by Clean & Clear) to absorb sebum and protect your makeup. If it were any other place than the bar/club I’d suggest to save money and use a toilet seat cover (they work in much the same way for blotting oil and protecting your makeup) but, well… it’s the bar/club. No thanks.

Hand Sanitizer

Speaking of grimey bathrooms, you may want to carry around a little bottle of hand sanitizer to apply after you’ve left the bathroom. The whole “paper towel on the doorknob” thing looks sanitary, but I just hate the thought of wasting paper towels. With hand sanitizer, a little dab’ll do ya.

Extra Cash

I realize that this isn't actually a beauty item, but if you carry plastic only most of the time (*raises hand*) you’ll find that it’s nice to have a couple fives, tens, or a few ones in your wallet. These loose bills will make valet and tipping your waiter or bartender a breeze. Make it a $20 if you’re cabbing it home. Don’t drink and drive, ladies!